Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/646497
be written in poetic verse or that some comic books are considered high-quality prose. ough Trevor's Middle School students seem to gravitate toward realistic fiction, the Independent Reading program exposes them to all of literature's possibilities. In addition to creating a list that encompasses a diverse body of authors and genres, teachers carefully include books that span a range of reading levels, ensuring that every student is successful. Students self-filter to their liking and taste; if they start a book with which they don't connect, they are free to drop it and select a different title. Ms. Hutchin believes that literature is a gateway to empathy, which is crucial to becoming a better learner, listener, and thinker. She finds one title surprisingly popular: A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Set in Sudan, it is a non-fiction book about a boy and girl during different time periods, whose lives eventually intertwine. "I think it's a compelling story, but it's so far off their radar as middle school students in New York City. I'm proud of them for choosing it and for being open to a totally new world." Another consistent favorite, A Monster Calls, written by Patrick Ness and beautifully illustrated by Jim Kay, is a story about the loss of a parent. Ms. Hutchin describes it as particularly touching subject matter: "Taking on the topic of the loss of a parent is a brave thing to do as a Young Adult author and Ness does it in such a way that really captures the fear and grief and denial that comes with loss. Even in their young lives, our students have experienced loss and grief." She prepares students by introducing A Monster Calls as "an emotionally tough text." Yet she believes that it is the kind of book some middle school students need—a place to safely explore grief. Goals of the Middle School Independent Reading Program Students will: n gain independence n advance as self-advocates n journey outside their worlds to develop perspective and empathy 1 5 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6 Ms. Hutchin attributes the program's mounting success to the Lower School's support in creating a culture of reading. She says that students enter Middle School primed to approach literature in new ways. e fluidity between the programs has been great support for the Independent Reading program. ough still evolving, the Independent Reading program has achieved one of its primary goals: putting learning in the hands of the students.